Invitation
by Kaidou
Summary: Never accept gifts from a Goblin King. It might give him ideas...


Labyrinth belongs to its respected characters and owners.

As of now I am unsure on how to rate this.

Kaidou

X

Shifting on her side Sarah pulled the pillow over her head and curled inwards to make herself smaller.

The insistent patter of rain and wind refused to fade into the background as she spent the night flopping around in various positions trying to fall asleep, desperately hoping the anxiety she was feeling would subside. It never did, and Sarah buried herself deeper under the worn quilt.

She had always hated nights like these, and that hate had followed her growing up before finally mixing with fear when she learned a dangerous secret about the world around her.

Retching away the covers and pillow, Sara stumbled out of bed to get a snack from the kitchen to distract herself. No longer in her cocoon of warmth she immediately noticed how much colder it was since the power went out, and she started rummaging through her dirty laundry for some sweats.

They were not the warmest thing in her wardrobe, having been washed to many times for that, but it was better than walking around the house in her underwear and the green tank she normally slept in.

Donning her sweatpants, Sarah stumbled from her room and groped in the semidarkness for the stairs. Halfway there she stubbed a toe on one of the evil little toys Toby had left for her to find, making her trip to the kitchen longer than she would care to admit.

"Rotten brat." Sarah muttered fondly, even as she rubbed the abused appendage while balancing on the other foot and searching through the cupboards.

Already she missed him. If Toby was home he would have snuck out of his room by now and crawled into her bed, hugging Lancelot tightly with his chubby little fingers and telling her not to be scared of the monsters.

It worked too, not because his words made her feel brave or anything but because he was simply there, safe and protected from the monsters, or rather monster, she was afraid of. Now though, as she stood alone in the house, Sarah had to keep reminding herself he was in Nevada with Dad and Karen, visiting their grandmother, and not in some magical world where reality no longer made sense.

Finding a bag of caramel popcorn hidden behind the cereal Sarah pulled it down to munch on the kernels. They were salty and made her mouth dry as bits stuck between to the insides of her back teeth.

Licking at her fingers Sara reached for one of the freshly washed glasses on the draining board to fill it with water before she greedily began gulping down the cold liquid.

"You don't like storms very much."

Sarah spun so fast the glass slipped from her fingers and shattered against the back of one of the kitchen chairs. The little fey blinked in mild surprise from his perch on the table as the pieces scattered across the tiled floor.

For a long moment Sara just stared.

"What's that weird look for?" He cocked a hip, looking like a miniature gothic version of Peter Pan with dragonfly wings and spiky blue hair. "You need to check yourself in one of those mirror-thingys, you're face is all ugly like that. Kinda like a troll."

Straightening, her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Trolls are dumb though," The mini Peter Pan continued, shrugging as if it was common knowledge. "And they smell."

Sarah reached behind her in the sink for some sort of defensive weapon, her hand grasping onto a metal spatula. Good enough. "Get out of my house."

He looked affronted. "I have business here."

"I don't care," She told him sourly. "I want you out of my house right now."

Huffing like a petulant child he took off in the air. "Why the hell did I even bother coming anyway?" The small fey asked, crossing his arms. "From what his Majesty said, you were having trouble sleeping and thought you'd feel better with company."

Sarah sucked in a breath. "What did you just say?"

"His Majesty," He sniffed peevishly. "Knows how much storms like these bother you and sent me to help since your brother's gone."

The only way that he could have known something like that was if he had been spying on her…

A lump formed in the back of her throat at the thought and Sarah eyed the small kitchen wearily as she looked for any sign of distorted light or an owl's shadow. There were none, but Sarah kept a firm grip on her makeshift weapon anyway. It never hurt being careful.

"So you're supposed to help me then huh?" There was no way she was going to admit, aloud especially, that it bothered her he knew about that little detail of her life.

"Yep." The mini Peter Pan nodded. "His Majesty can't come 'cause the rules say so, but I'm pixy and they've never applied to us, or faries for that matter."

Sarah closed her eyes in despair at the thought he found a way to get at her. Usually creatures from the underground had to be summoned for them to make any sort of appearance in this world. That there was apparently a way around the rules protecting her and Toby left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Forcing herself to take several deep breaths she tried to calm her overanxious nerves.

"So how exactly are you going to help me?" She asked, afraid to know but at the same time wanting him gone. "A sleeping spell or a charm that makes the house sound proof?"

"I'm a pixy not a bloody magician!" He hovered in front of her face, hands on his hips and scowling.

Talk about touchy. Sarah leaned on the counter to distance herself from the four inches of temper tantrum flying around her kitchen. This pixy had some issues.

"To answer your question," The small fey continued, beams of colored dust sifting from his wings. He held both arms out expectantly in front of him, expression annoyed. "I'm supposed to give you this."

A small bauble of crystal that looked painfully familiar melted into existence.

"Here we go." He grinned wickedly at her.

Sarah stared in horror as she pressed herself as far back into the counter as physically possible, almost falling into the sink in trying to distance herself. Why did this stupid little pixy have to bring something like THAT into her house?

Knuckles a bloodless white from gripping the counter she forced her lungs to remember how to breathe properly.

"I'm not taking that." She muttered, horrified at the very idea of touching it.

The pixy drooped in the air several inches. "Why not?"

"Because it's probably cursed!"

"I doubt it." He snorted, moving closer so he could give it to her. "Now stop being a sissy-pants and take it. My arms are about to fall off."

Knowing she was being stupid Sarah hesitantly held out her arms for him to drop it in her cupped palms. It felt smooth and light in her hands as she turned it absently.

There had to be some kind of catch to all this…

She tossed him a careful glance. "How do I know its safe?"

His face turned an ugly shade of red and Sarah had the distinct impression he was about to throw another tantrum. Not looking forward to the potential prospect Sarah blurted out a quick-"What's your name?" if only to save herself from his tirade.

The pixy paused, hovering in the air before he shot her a dirty look and moved to the window overlooking the backyard, hands folded behind him.

"Fiddle." He said finally.

"Oh," She was surprised he even answered. "I'm Sarah."

He nodded peevishly, and from his expression she assumed he probably already knew this.

Letting out a breath of air and mindful of the glass on the floor she moved to stand in the middle of the kitchen. There was no reason to get to close to him.

"Are you staying for very long?" She asked him as dust sifted from his dragonfly wings.

"Not at all." Fiddle spoke in an even tone, watching her.

Without a hint of warning he was suddenly hovering inches from her face, his earrings chiming softly. Sarah started shocked at him being so close.

"Humans are nothing but trouble." He told her, something in his eyes making her shudder. "They're rude, senseless… I don't know what his Majesty sees in you."

Pulling back slightly he stared at her for a long moment.

Then, seeming satisfied with something, he turned and disappeared.

Sarah blinked, waving a hand to clear the air around her as the pixy melted into a haze of shimmering dust. Not entirely sure what just happened she turned in a slow circle, finding no sparkle of wings to indicate his presence.

Shaking her head and deciding not to think to much about it she held up the hand with the bauble to examine, finding as of right now there was something more pressing to deal with.

The real question was… Sarah turned the trinket, watching how the small crystal absorb the light. What to do with it?

She eyed the trash bin in the corner with a faint smile.

Walking over she carelessly tossed the bauble in, immediately contended at the echoing thunk that came from inside before she snapped the lid shut. If, out of all the people in both worlds, it came from him, then there really was no reason for her to trust it.

Picking up the broken shards of glass, Sarah began to carefully arrange them in a pile, not wanting to risk any nasty surprises in the mourning when she was only half conscious. Reaching over for one of the larger pieces on the floor she hesitated, hand hovering as the sudden sensation of her hair being brushed aside tickled the edge of her senses.

She stiffened when warm breath whispered across the back of her neck. The scraping of teeth met the junction of her neck and Sarah shrieked, spinning so fast she landed in an ungraceful heap on her back.

Scrambling away she completely ignored the glass that bit into her, although failing to note it never actually once broke skin.

Breath coming out choppily Sarah sat up to stare at the innocent looking bauble neatly nestled where she had been only moments before. That very same bauble she had tossed into the garbage…

The crystal…

A cold dread suddenly clenched around her as understanding dawned. With a shuddering breath that did nothing to help Sarah forced herself to calm.

She had accepted a gift, and in her thoughtlessness had just unwittingly invited the very person she had never wanted anything to do with again right into her home. The very idea of him being so close scared her.

The touch of lips on the vulnerable skin behind her ear sent her heart suddenly racing, and the world whitened at its edges as she fell into a warm embrace. Somewhere in the background she could just vaguely hear the chittering of high pitched voices.

As her grip on reality slipped away entirely Sarah forced herself awake long enough to mutter a few choice insults in spite.

The Goblin King only laughed.

X

Finished!


End file.
